Alaska Marine Lines Partners with ICE to Ensure Legal Workforce

MarineLink.com

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Alaska Marine Lines Inc., a Seattle-based marine transportation company whose fleet ferries supplies to Alaska, is the latest employer to be certified under a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) program designed to strengthen hiring practices and combat the unlawful employment of unauthorized workers.

Alaska Marine Lines is one of more than 160 employers nationwide to complete the IMAGE (ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers) certification process. IMAGE is a voluntary program that allows private industry to partner with ICE to reduce unauthorized employment and the use of fraudulent identity documents.

To qualify for IMAGE certification, Alaska Marine Lines voluntarily enrolled in E-Verify; established a written hiring and employment eligibility verification policy that includes internal I-9 audits at least once a year; and submitted to a Form I-9 inspection.

Alaska Marine Lines is a full-service marine transportation company specializing in moving all types of freight – from groceries and cars to oversized cranes and other bulky items for the mining, oil and construction industries – to Alaska and northern Canada.

Upon enrollment in and commitment to the IMAGE Best Employment Practices, program participants are deemed “IMAGE certified,” a distinction the Department of Homeland Security and ICE believe will become an industry standard. IMAGE also provides all employers free training on the Form I-9, fraudulent document detection, and building a solid immigration compliance model.